This morning I pulled my jeans out of the dryer to get ready to go teach our kids church. I had to tug on them a little more than I usually do to get them on. I haven’t gained weight. Did they shrink in the dryer? (Laughable.) That is when the voices started, but I hardly noticed. The hectic noise of getting all five of us out the door on time distracted me from myself. Looking back, I can remember the onset of emotions that added pressure to the morning just because I was very aware my jeans seemed to be what held my thighs together. On the way down the mountain, my jeans tore. To add insult to injury, it was right in the worn spot where my legs rub together. My legs RUB together! The squishy skin that poked through made me hear loud and clear those thoughts I had been ignoring all morning. A rushing river of negative thoughts flooded over me all at once. Now I was going to have to get a new pair of jeans. I hate clothes shopping for me anyway, and I was mortified there might be a possibility I might need a size bigger. It instantly sent me spinning in “fix it” mode. I HAVE to get this weight off! This is taking me so long. Maybe I should think about drastic measures...fad diet….diet pills…GASTRIC BYPASS, LIPOSUCTION!
Then something new and unusual happened. Just as quickly as the storm rolled in, peace came. I had almost instantly recognized my thoughts like a voice from my past. This is not me anymore even if this behavior was normal for last week. Today I am not the same person I was yesterday. It was almost like I stepped out above myself to speak truth to me. Suddenly my physical body did not matter to me anymore. I will not let this tiny distraction tempt me to put myself under law and old habits that will just keep me in bondage to my flesh. I know I am free. I know this way works. It is a slow outward process, but freedom is the important thing. I am not even my body. The pants issue reminded me of where I lacked, where I had faults, where I needed to improve. I did not take a bite out of that temptation. I will choose the easy way which is to put me and my ability to death and ride through this on grace, mercy, and love. It is funny though, denying my “old” tendencies IS the hard part. This is what I think it means to labor into rest. I refocused and centered myself. I discarded those thoughts and the emotions that accompanied them. There was calm. I was settled. I remembered the truth. The rest of the “day of rest” was quite restful. I got rid of the distraction in my heart and focused on life that really matters. We had an amazing day in kids church and a fantastic family day. After I recovered my sight, I also had some EASY weight loss wins because I was content with myself. I had peace. I was at rest.
Win For Today
I stayed the course. I learned stuff. I ate well (at least the majority of the day.)
Nutritional Nugget
The Daily Values are the little numbers beside the nutrient that show percents. These are pretty much good for nothing. They determine these on a 2000 calorie diet. They cause more harmful thinking than beneficial thinking with people in my experience. But there is one really wonderful tidbit I love to use to help people make healthful choices. If the daily value (DV) is 5% or less of that nutrient, that means the food is low in that. If the DV is 20% or more, that means the food per serving is high in that nutrient. This is especially helpful with things you want to limit like sodium and cholesterol.
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